Julie Phillips and Geoff Szuszkiewicz tried a "buy-nothing year" in which they bought nothing other than essentials. In the process both have saved a lot of money and learned a lot about what they really want from work. They were photographed in front of the Szuszkiewicz's aquaponics system in his Calgary kitchen.Gavin Young
/ Calgary Herald

Related

Part hip startup, part modern hobby shop, its minimal work stations and fresh white walls contrast candy-coloured plastic trinkets lining the shelves, each one produced by Tinkerine’s marquee product: a line of 3D printers.

For those who haven’t seen the process in action, 3D printing can be a hard concept to grasp. Taking a virtual design and making it physical at the touch of a button still seems like something out of science fiction. Up close and personal, however, it’s much less mysterious. In fact, it’s kind of cute.

Each sleek little machine hums a wheezy little tune as it sucks bright plastic filament off a spool, heats it up and pumps it through a nozzle – sort of like a hot-glue gun – adding layer upon layer until, voila, you have a thing! An iPhone case, a vase, a scale model of the Eiffel Tower, these are just some of the items they can produce.

“At the end of the day, we’re really here to make a product or tool that allows anybody to do anything they want with it,” says Eugene Suyu, Tinkerine’s 25-year-old founder. “The sky’s really the limit for the end user.”

3D-printed works at Tinkerine, Eugene Suyu's 3D printing company.

Right now, that’s mostly design geeks and small businesses looking for a means to produce cheap and easy prototypes, but Suyu has his sights set on a much larger market.

“These units will eventually trickle into homes,” he says. He’s probably right. Like the Internet in its early days, 3D printing seems niche and esoteric now, but the technology seems destined for ubiquity just as soon as the kinks get worked out and we all learn how to use it.

When that happens, a lot of people are going to be out of a job.

Imagine the implications of a world where anybody can make anything they want without leaving home. If the only thing standing between me and a new iPhone case (or a car part, or a pair of earrings, or even most of the parts necessary to build my own 3D printer) is a spool of plastic and a pattern I can purchase conveniently online, there goes the entire supply chain. I no longer need anyone to sell, store, market, manufacture, transport or – if my skills are sharp enough – design stuff.

And it’s not just purveyors of plastic that are vulnerable. While government and industry are pleading with young Canadians to consider careers in trades, 3D printers are already building houses in China – up to 10 a day. Imagine if that were the norm on construction sites in Canada. We’re still a decade or two, maybe more, away from this reality, but it is coming.

Add that to steady advancements in computing technology that put nearly half of today’s jobs at risk for automation, according to a recent Oxford University study, and you have a massive societal shift on your hands. Is this history repeating? Maybe. In the past, technological advances have created upheaval initially, but in the end resulted in more and better jobs.

A 3D-printed creation is in progress at Tinkerine.

This wave may or may not end up the same. Some experts argue that we’ve reached a tipping point with mechanization where productivity and capital can increase ad-infinitum without increasing the need for labour, i.e. creating jobs. Other sectors may spring up to fill the void, only time will tell, but for now, it seems as if we’re headed for a future where there may not be enough work to go around.

It could be the best thing that ever happened to us.

“Too much of our lives are subordinated to work,” argues Kathi Weeks, professor of women’s studies at Duke University and author of the book The Problem with Work.

While the inexorable march of the machines makes many of us anxious, Weeks says we should get comfortable with the idea of a future where work isn’t the defining characteristic of our lives. In fact, we should be fighting for it.

“Work isn’t working for people who are overworked and don’t have any kind of life outside of work. And I don’t think it’s working for the people who don’t have enough work, who are constantly struggling to get an income on which to live.”

In her writing, Weeks takes aim at the ideology of work — the capitalist narrative that waged labour is at once our most efficient and equitable means of wealth distribution, while also a vehicle through which we can reach our highest human potential. To her, it’s all bait and switch. “Most jobs don’t offer much in the way of either of those.”

Too many people are struggling to make ends meet, regardless of how hard they work, and too many jobs are devoid of meaning, Weeks says, but most of us don’t stop to question the system because we’re too busy scrambling to stay afloat. And the system depends on that.

“Part of the ideology of work also colonizes our imagination,” she says. “That often comes up when people imagine what would happen if we had more free time: either nothing, idleness, or else mass indiscipline.”

Weeks thinks we’re capable of more. Freed from the distraction of endless hustling, people could concentrate on building strong community and family relationships or apply their skills to projects that are beneficial to society but don’t have wide market appeal – think researching green technologies or medical interventions that won’t make enough money to attract corporate investors.

There are limitless options for applying human ingenuity and creativity, if we only had the time.

To pay the bills, Weeks advocates the adoption of guaranteed annual income, a social support system wherein everyone gets a basic amount of money every year regardless of employment status.

The idea isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. An upcoming referendum in Switzerland will decided if citizens there should be entitled to $33,000 U.S. a year, no strings attached. In Canada, the system has some surprising proponents. Former Conservative Senator Hugh Segal has long promoted the idea, as has Conference Board of Canada chief economist Glen Hodgson, who has heralded the system as a way to combat growing income inequality in this country.

Given an annual sum, many people would still work in order to top up their income, but some could choose to leave the workforce. Reframing work as a choice rather than requirement, Weeks says, is an idea whose time has come.

“Work doesn’t necessarily work as a system of income distribution. It’s not necessary that every single adult work for the production of social wealth. So really, what is the nature of this requirement that we all have to work in order to live?

“I think it’s worth asking these questions now, particularly when the system is so obviously broken in so many ways.”

More and more, people are asking those questions and choosing different paths — and they’re not waiting for government cheques to set them free.

Geoffrey Szuszkiewicz and Julie Phillips

Calgary friends Geoffrey Szuszkiewicz and Julie Phillips drastically altered their perspective on work after embarking on a radical social experiment called Buy Nothing Year.

The concept is just as it sounds. In August 2013, the then roommates swore off purchasing consumer goods for one year, starting with clothing and household items and phasing into transportation, services, entertainment and dining out.

Initially intended to challenge their relationship to money, taking a hiatus from spending in Canada’s Mecca of high wages, corporate culture and opulent consumerism had an unintended consequence. They started questioning whether the rat race was still relevant.

Devoting your whole life to work in the hopes of retiring at 65 doesn’t even make sense any more, Szuszkiewicz points out, since most people south of 40 will never see a pension. “Those kinds of safety nets are being taken away,” he says. “So now we’ve become dependent upon amassing whatever it is that we think we’re going to need whenever it is that we choose to remove ourselves from the workforce.”

There’s a lot of freedom to be found in that. In banking 60 per cent of his take-home pay this year, Szuszkiewicz, an accountant for an oil and gas firm, came to an epiphany: If you learn to need less, then you can you can stop working sooner.

Inspired by the downshifting movement, a lifestyle philosophy that promotes simple, low-cost living where time, not money, is the prized commodity, Szuszkiewicz says he’s aiming to retire in the next five or six years. He is 31 years old.

“I can think of a million things I can do with my time other than work, such as taking more dance classes, or doing more community-building, volunteering at different organizations,” he says. “I think people, they become defined by their jobs because they didn’t really realize they could be defined by other things and that there are other options to view the world that we live in.”

For 29-year-old Phillips, who works in marketing at the University of Calgary, the goal is a little less extreme. She’s not out to leave the workforce entirely but is conscious of having realistic expectations about what work should be.

“I was searching for my identity through my work a lot,” she says. “I’ve kind of pulled back from that a bit, where my work is still important to me and I want to do work that I find enriching, but I also identify with my role in my family and with my friends and with my community. And so I’ve broadened my definition of success.”

Of course, if everyone adopted the lifestyle of a hipster-pensioner the economy would take some big hits. Already the corporate world is fretting over a trend among younger generations to ditch car ownership for bicycles and home ownership in favour of rentals and community garden plots.

Szuszkiewicz and Phillips don’t see the trickle down from decreased consumer spending as a bad thing. “It’s like well, if that’s the only thing propping everything up then is that really beneficial to anybody?” Szuszkiewicz says. “The system needs to be adjusted.”

Nic Deveaux has worked to limit the amount of work he has to do: "I'm creating a system that will work on its own and generate money."

It didn’t take a radical experiment to get Nic Deveaux to question the merits of a 9 to 5 job. The 33-year-old Montrealer has never been able to make sense of putting in hours at an office just to earn a paycheque.

“I don’t mind working hard hours if it’s actually building something, but knowing I have to come into work every day just to work? No,” he says, squirming like a kid faced with a forkful of broccoli. “Because it’s pointless. I think people are better than that.”

Deveaux is an outlier and he knows it. If you ask him what he does for work he’ll brush off the question, or if pushed, say he’s an entrepreneur. In a way it’s true.

A web designer by training, Deveaux has a little business making games for the iPhone. But he is adamant the endeavour is strictly utilitarian. It is a way to make money, not an outlet for creative energy, ambition or purpose.

“I’m not looking for fulfillment in my work,” he insists. “I’m just not.”

What he is looking to do is work as little as possible. Inspired by the self-help book The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, Deveaux has “outsourced” his life. He buys prepackaged code for his games and hires freelance graphic designers and support through online firms, such as Elance or Odesk, to make the bells and whistles. Right now, he’s down to about four hours a day overseeing the workflow and answering emails, but ideally the system will one day operate without him.

“I’m not creating a job for myself, I’m creating a system that will work on its own and generate money.”

To cushion the risk, Deveaux does have some income stemming from web maintenance work he does for his father’s corporate restructuring company, which he admits is a fortunate situation. But it’s also pretty light in terms of time commitment, and he has no problem filling the remainder of his days.

For someone who likes to play up a lazy, irreverent persona, Deveaux’s time is quite regimented. Mornings start at 6:30 a.m. when he’s up getting toddler son Lionel ready for daycare while his partner Marjolaine Goulet gets ready for work at a telecom firm. When they’re both out the door, Deveaux heads to the gym to “reclaim” his body. After that, he puts in a couple of hours dealing with “critical stuff,” which includes personal errands, takes an hour for lunch and wraps up the work day in another couple hours. Then it’s time to pick up Lionel. Evenings are devoted to family and personally enriching hobbies, like playing guitar and putting together a video blog.

Nic Deveau, with partner Marjolaine Goulet and son Lionel.

Contrary to popular practice, Deveaux says having a family has made it even more important to push work way down the priority list. He’d rather Lionel grow up with a present father — albeit one who bucks the norm — than a briefcase-toting absentee dad.

“I just want to teach him to choose first; choose what you want your life to be and then fit work in there,” Deveaux says. It’s a perspective that seems to be catching on. Deveaux says many of his friends have become curious about his approach to work and have asked him for guidance on how to devise systems of their own. He acknowledges many won’t take the plunge into his extreme program, but their interest is a signal of a coming sea change. People are waking up to the reality that if we’re not careful, work will take as much of our time, attention and spirit as we’re willing to give, but it won’t necessarily make good on the return.

“Work is not going to fulfill you,” says Deveaux. “That’s not what work is for.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.